Business Associates
by BoxerMan
Summary: Lex meets an associate of his fathers to discuss a business arrangement.


-'Business Associates'-  
  
Summary: Lex meets an associate of his fathers to discuss a business arrangement.  
  
Timeframe: For arguments sake, early season one.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or the Simpsons  
  
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Lex looked over his notes in the helicopter. Usually he would have complained about using it to travel a relatively long flight. A plane would have made more sense. There wasn't any real reason to use it. But his father insisted. That's the main reason he was on this trip in the first place. He frowned as he remembered the conversation.  
  
//////////////(Flashback)  
  
Lionel Luthor stood in the center of the room, commanding attention. "Lex, you have to go. This man is an old friend of mine."  
  
Lex smirked as he looked over some industrial reports from the plant. "Oh, you have friends now dad?"  
  
Lionel gave him a slightly condescending look. "Very funny Lex. You're still not getting out of it. All you were going to do was waste time with a couple of town teenagers instead of running one of my plants. How are you supposed to do well in business if you spend too much time with the local yokels?"  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow. "Yokels?"  
  
Lionel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lex..."  
  
Lex grinned a small victory for himself. His father walked over to the desk and sat upon the front. "Come now Lex. This is your first week in Smallville and I've yet to see any difference."  
  
Lex rolled his eyes and put down the papers. "Dad, it takes more than a week to make a plant that's running itself into the ground into a shining pillar of capitalism."  
  
"Ah, but when I was your age..."  
  
"Dinosaurs walked the earth."  
  
Lex earned himself another glare from his father. Lionel sighed. "Lex, how can you expect people to take you seriously if you insist on making jokes?"  
  
"Well dad, anything worth taking seriously is worth making fun of."  
  
Lionel smiled as he took out an envelope and placed it on the desk. "If you're going to quote someone, at least use Machiavelli."  
  
The younger of the Luthors eyed him wearily before reaching for the envelope. "Churchill beats Machiavelli any day, dad."  
  
Lionel gave him a look. "That wasn't Churchill."  
  
Lex smirked. "No Churchill said 'Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.'"  
  
Lionel glared at his son. "I think Churchill would have overlooked this instance."  
  
Lex rolled his eyes and looked over the contents of the envelope. "Dad it's not even a fertilizer plant, it's a nuclear plant."  
  
Lionel smiled and stood up, slowly edging his way around the desk. "Its all semantics really. Business is business. And if you thought _I_ was an evil businessman, you wait until you meet _him_."  
  
Lex cocked his head to the side and said sarcastically, "Well, that almost makes it worth it, doesn't it?"  
  
Lionel shrugged his shoulder noncommittally and waited for an answer.  
  
Lex held his head in his hands and looked at the amount of paperwork he had to do. "If I go, will you leave and let me finish?"  
  
Lionel grinned triumphantly and turned around to walk out. "Make sure you take the helicopter."  
  
Lex sighed and raised his voice so his father could hear him. "Dad, his plant is in another state!"  
  
Lionel held up his right hand with the index finger outstretched. "Appearances Lex, appearances."  
  
Lex went back to his paperwork and muttered under his breath. "Yeah, I got your appearances."  
  
////////////////////////////////////  
  
Lex sighed as he felt the plane touch down. Even though it was only about an hour and a half or so, the trip was too long for his tastes. He sighed as he looked out the window. The press was there. Great. He'd have to do his 'good little Luthor' press show.  
  
As he walked past the cockpit, the pilot turned to him. "Mr. Luthor sir, would you like us to wait here?"  
  
Lex sighed and nodded. "Sure Jennings, just make sure you don't leave without me. I don't want to be here anymore than you do."  
  
Jennings nodded and held his headphones as a message came across them. He turned back to Lex. "Mr. Luthor, They're waiting for you outside."  
  
Lex smiled and patted the helicopter pilot on the shoulder. "Thank you Jennings."  
  
He turned and looked out the window. Sure enough, dozens of cameras were there. It seemed good old dad had made sure every press junket in the state knew he was going to be visiting today, oh well. Lex straitened himself and opened the door.  
  
Cameras flashed as he got out and approached a frail hunched elderly man standing next to a man with glasses that seemed to be in his late thirties, early forties. "Hello Mr. Burns, Mr. Smithers. I am Lex Luthor. I believe you are a friend of my father?"  
  
Burns smiled evilly and tapped the tips of his fingers together. "Excellent." 


End file.
